A teenage girl had her "childhood stolen" after a vile paedophile raped her 10 times.
The actions of Chris Morriss, 49, formerly of Denecliff, Stockbridge Village, came to light after he was found in breach of the terms of the sex offenders register after being released from prison for previous sexual offences. He had tried to evade detection by changing his name, but was jailed for three and a half years for that offence in July 2021.
While officers were investigating the breach, officers were made aware a 13-year-old girl was raped 10 times by the vile paedophile. Morriss groomed the youngster by buying her presents before assaulting her to satisfy his perverted sexual urges.
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The girl described how her whole family had changed because of what Morriss had done and how he had robbed her of the chance to be a normal teenager. Morriss was convicted of 10 rapes on the 13-year-old and was jailed for life in court earlier this week. He must serve at least 11 years before he is eligible to apply for parole.
The judge described him as a "dangerous offender" as he was being sentenced.
Sgt Martin Walker, of South CID at Lancashire Constabulary, said: "Morriss is a dangerous and predatory paedophile who groomed this young girl and then repeatedly raped her. The impact of his actions on this teenager cannot be overstated – he has effectively stolen her childhood.
"This sentence means that this dangerous man will be off the streets for a significant time and will be unable to target any other children."
Brett Gerrity, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the North West Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said: "Chris Morriss is a dangerous sexual predator who has ruined another young girl’s life. He groomed her with gifts before taking full advantage of her for his own sexual gratification without any regard for the damage he was causing her.
"In her victim impact statement the girl said her whole family has changed because of what he did to her as all they do is worry about her. She hasn’t had a chance to discover who she is or who she is meant to be.
"She wants him in prison so he can’t do this to anyone else. We worked closely with Lancashire Police to bring him to justice in order so he can pose no further harm to children.
"The life sentence he has been given should reassure the public how seriously the Criminal Justice System take such offences.”
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